High-producing leisure travel advisors are positioning themselves for sustained growth in 2027 by expanding their strategic investments, according to a survey conducted during Travel Leaders Network’s (TLN) annual Leisure Leaders meeting.
“The results show particularly strong expectations for cruise sales, increased spending on marketing and technology and near-universal adoption of artificial intelligence,” TLN said, noting that it’s top-performing agencies managing upwards of $2.5 billion in annual sales.
Increased Marketing Investment
“Perhaps the clearest sign of confidence: 86% of respondents plan to increase marketing spending in 2027, including 60% who expect to increase their budgets by more than 10%. Not a single respondent plans to cut marketing spending,” TLN said.
Strong Outlook for Cruise, Land Vacations
“Cruising stands out as one of the strongest opportunities identified in the survey,” the consortium said. “Ninety percent of respondents expect river cruise sales to increase in 2027, with 40% forecasting growth above 10%.”
Meanwhile, advisors are optimistic about luxury and premium cruise sales, with 75% of respondents predicting luxury sales to grow – at minimum – by 5%, and 87% expect growth in premium cruises. “Contemporary cruising remains strong, with 59% predicting growth of 5% or more,” TLN said.
Advisors are also optimistic about land travel in 2027, with 77% of respondents predicting growth in FIT/independent travel and 73% expecting growth of 5% or more in escorted and group travel.
Tech Upgrades and Widespread AI Adoption
New office technology ranks as their top investment priority, followed by marketing and lead generation and independent contractor recruitment,” TLN said. “AI has quickly become part of that equation. All but one respondent expects to use AI in agency operations in 2027.”
“Marketing and communications is the leading application, selected by 86%, while 73% expect employees and independent contractors to use AI for agent bios. Agencies are also applying AI to customer service, data analysis, revenue management and fraud detection,” the consortium said.
Leveraging TLN Resources and Social Media
TLN resources are also expected to help agencies build stronger sales. “Eighty-one percent cited leads from TravelLeaders.com as a valuable TLN resource, while 75% selected Engagement Marketing,” TLN said. “More than half also pointed to TLN cruise programs, including Distinctive Voyages and Amenity Departure Dates, and booking platforms SNAP and Cruise Complete, as high-ROI solutions.”
For 2027, travel advisors pointed to social media as the most efficient marketing channel, followed by email and print advertising. “TLN continues to expand resources in this area, including Social Share Pro and Social Lab, introduced in 2026 to help members strengthen their social media capabilities,” TLN said.
Positioning Agencies for Success
“Travel advisors have tremendous opportunity ahead of them, but opportunity alone doesn’t create growth,” said Travel Leaders Network President Lindsay Pearlman.
“The agencies that succeed will be the ones that have the right technology, marketing, supplier partner relationships and business support behind them,” he added. “That’s exactly what we want Travel Leaders Network membership to provide.”
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